Desert poplar foliage. Photo: Mark Marathon / CC BY-SA 3.0
Desert poplar foliage. Photo: Mark Marathon / CC BY-SA 3.0

Park closure

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park will be closed until 2 pm on Thursday 25 June and all day on Friday 26 June due to a funeral and memorial service following the passing of a senior Aṉangu woman. Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park will re-open at 6.30 am on Saturday 27 June.

More information: Park closures on 25 and 26 June 2026 due to Sorry Business

The desert poplar is a tall, fast-growing, short-lived tree that sometimes sets so much seed that it bends over with the weight.

You will most likely see the desert poplar beside roads in the park, but it also grows in sand and on mulga flats and rocky hillsides.

Culture

The roots of the desert poplar are a great place to find witchetty grubs and its dense leaves make a cooling cover for babies in hot weather.

Scientific name

Codonocarpus cotinifolius

Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara name

kantuṟangu